Dear Members,

During the week of April 11-15, your bargaining committee worked through multiple items and prioritized making a clear presentation of the membership’s position on teleworking.  In our region, approximately 550 members are deemed to be remote or mobile, while others have been directed to return to the office with no recourse based on a policy (Bell Workways) that is entirely employer-directed.

As a reminder, Bell owns its policies, which are only limited by language we negotiate into the collective agreement and/or applicable laws.

In the lead up to negotiations, members made it abundantly clear that teleworking is a high priority. Your bargaining team believes that this is a major component of your future working conditions, and the union must be able to negotiate fair language to protect members.

The company indicated last week that they are not yet willing to commit to teleworking language in the collective agreement. Together, Unifor members will change their mind.

The Unifor ACL Bargaining Committee is coordinating mobilization efforts with Bell Clerical workers in Ontario and Quebec. Together, we represent nearly 6,000 members. Your Mobilization committee will be reaching out early next week with our next activity.

Our next scheduled bargaining dates are April 26-28 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where we will have our first in person bargaining session with the company.

Some of our members have asked for more information regarding issues being discussed at the bargaining table.  We must remind everyone that we are unable to share specific details of bargained elements until we reach a Tentative Agreement.

Thank you for your support and solidarity. Your bargaining committee will continue to communicate updates throughout the negotiations.

In solidarity,

Bell Atlantic Bargaining Committee

TORONTO– Unifor’s Ontario Regional Director and Human Rights Director wrote to Ontario Premier to demand the province immediately adopt the ONDP’s Bill-86, Our London Family Act.

“By refusing to support Bill 86 in the legislature last week, Ford revealed that his party and government does not consider the safety and well-being of Muslims in Ontario to be an imminent priority,” said Naureen Rizvi, Unifor Ontario Regional Director.

Unifor strongly supports and encourages members to support the proposals and amendments proposed in Bill-86. The union believes the Bill takes meaningful and concrete steps towards tackling hate and Islamophobia in key policy areas.

These key areas include greater restrictions against any political party or public rallies/demonstrations promoting hate against identifiable groups, new tools and strategies to combat racism in the public education system, annual anti-racism training for frontline workers in public organizations, establishing an Ontario Anti-Racism Advisory and Advocacy Council and creating safe zones around religious institutions.

“The Premier still has time to show Ontarians that racism and Islamophobia have no place in the province. Ontarians of all religious beliefs are urging the Premier to immediately pass Bill-86 before the dissolution of the legislature and the upcoming provincial election, said Christine Maclin, Unifor Director of Human Rights.

In a letter to the Premier, Rizvi and Maclin asked the Premier to change course and adopt this life-saving piece of legislation.

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

In Windsor, Unifor Local 444 members at the Caesars casino ratified a new three-year collective agreement by 93% on March 20, 2022. The contract is filled with improvements, including wage increases each year, a pension enhancement of 1%, and a signing bonus of up to $1,600 per member.

President Dave Cassidy said the agreement sets a new standard for the gaming sector, noting that the agreement’s entire compensation package makes Local 444 members at Caesars the “highest-paid gaming members in Canada.”

The contract also features multiple benefits enhancements across life insurance, vision, eye exams, physiotherapy, massage, medical health practitioner, chiro/naturopath/speech, psychologist, and personal emergency leave.

Unifor has also been successful in 2022 at making breakthroughs for first agreements. Local 103 members at Cascades Casino North Bay negotiated wages, pensions, and job security language that nearly matches mature collective agreements at other Gateway casino properties. The contract was ratified on March 22.

More recently, Unifor Local 1090 members at Casino Rama near Orillia, Ontario also ratified a new three-year collective agreement on April 14.

The contract secures significant wage increases for workers: 3% in both years one and two and 3.5% in year three. The gains for members working in the skilled trades are even higher at 5% each year.

“Since joining Unifor in 2015, workers at Casino Rama have seen massive wage increases and new benefits that would have been impossible in a non-union environment,” said Corey Dalton, president of Unifor Local 1090.

Ambitious negotiating goals are also on the horizon for Unifor members at Great Canadian Gaming Corporation sites. Bargaining committees for Locals 1090 and 504 will meet in May to discuss company-wide bargaining strategies.

“The gaming industry is constantly changing and we have to ensure our contracts continue to lead the way for workers and their families,” said Chris Macdonald, assistant to the Unifor National President.

On the prairies, Unifor members at Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries are set to begin bargaining this summer when their contract expires in June. Local 144 expects a difficult round under the province’s conservative government, which sets the parameters of bargaining for the Crown corporation. Unifor’s 800 members in the sector will prioritize wages and job security now that Manitoba’s casinos are operating at full capacity.

In British Columbia, Local 3000 is preparing for bargaining at the Parq Vancouver Casino Resort. It also promises to be a challenge as Unifor members fight to keep compensation and benefits above rising inflation.

The recent gains made by Unifor casino workers in Ontario establish new benchmarks for employers to live up to. After facing years of difficult circumstances, Canada’s gaming sector workers deserve contracts that respect these standards and undo the pandemic’s worst economic effects.